General Commentthis is in my top 50 fav songs.
i love the melody and his voice is so unique.
i think its about how fucked up the girl is, how he thinks she never had a clear foundation,never really much to lean on.

General CommentI think that this song is about a girl he was with and how it didnt work out.
"it makes me miss my friends" - it possibly being the girl, never having time for friends
"you wasted my days" - self explanitory
"building on shaking ground, you cant carry on" - you cant carry on a relationship if one person or the other doesnt want it
"these tides sweep us out of reach" - the tides are the things the keep breaking up the relationship and they are swept out of reach

General Commenti had the pleasure of seeing these guys and actually meeting them at a show in chicago. they were playing with incubus at a large venue, but booked a small concert the day after with one other band because with incubus, no one really listened to them, everyone was just there for incubus. it was awsome becasue they actually talked about some of the songs and what they meant before they played them. this song is about the death of his grandfather who he was really close to. his grandfather was a great influence to him in life, and when he died, they were on tour and it really hit him hard. he said it really made him realize how someone could lead such an amazing life, and then it just gets swept away so quickly by the tide like it was nothing. watching them play this song was so powerful, he was almost in tears when he finished singing

General Commentd krez im not completely doubting you but i think the song Travel By Bloodline is actually about Jims grandpa, and i dont see how this song could be about his grandpa. Who knows i could by completely wrong and you did hear him right at that concert, but ok.

General CommentOh and by the way, shokknterror i heard that Jim has recently got a disease and was very sick and the disease makes him shake, and his whole body shake. I noticed him shaking on the performance also and thought something was wrong and once i heard about that disease it explained it.

General Commenthas anyone ever heard of the book "1984"??? well oceana is the name of the dictator rules country where it takes place. i think it could be about the downfall of the political party that rules it..overthrown by the proles and frustrated outer party members

General CommentI agree with Rock Zealot about the 1984 reference, but I also think Jim used it as a metaphor to make a case against President Bush’s reason for going to Iraq. Well at least what he perceives as the President’s reason.
During the President’s re-election campaign his opponents made the assertion that America’s sole reason for invading Iraq was because Saddam had a stockpile of WMD’s. Obviously the President has lied to us about WMD’s in Iraq because we didn’t find any, and should therefore not be re-elected. That was his opponents claim and I believe is what Jim is singing about.

It wakes me up and shakes my bones, It makes me miss my friends.
This refers to the realization that there are no WMD’s in Iraq and that there is no reason for us (and his friends) for being there.
You wasted days, I hung my head, I wore these blinders, So I'll hide from you, hide from you.
This refers to the fact that he believed in the Presidents case for war.
You can hear the sound when walls break down You wasted my days Building on shaky ground.
He is saying that you made your case but the evidence is just not there, we have found no weapons.
You can’t carry on, When walls break down You wasted my days Building on shaky ground.
You should no longer be president for committing such a huge breach of trust.
Sitting face to face and tides will rise our light is in your eyes.
This verse means that it’s time for re-election and now the President has to answer for his actions. He is under some major scrutiny.
We will be heard our voice is strong, You shamed yourself, And we’re done with you.
This means more or less what it says. The voice is the ballot box and the President will not be re-elected.
This is your life you led, This is my life you bled.
This verse implies that the Presidents decision has not impacted him as much as it has affected all of us.
These tides sweep us out of reach.
Iraq was no real threat (big ocean between us) and we should not have gone to war based on WMD’s.

I think he references the book 1984 because we all bought into the President’s claim for finding WMD’s in Iraq. I am not going to say whether or not I agree with his point of view because I have no desire to engage in a flame war on this site. I am only giving my opinion on what this song is about and I could be all wrong, but here you go take it or leave it.